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The Private Sector's Role in Fighting Corruption: Challenges and Remedies for the Egyptian Business Community

Cairo, 21 November, 2011

The roundtable on “The Private Sector’s Role in the Fight Against Corruption”, held in Cairo, Egypt, on 21 November 2011, provided an opportunity for Egyptian business representatives to come together and engage in an exchange on the measures available to prevent and respond to corruption.

The roundtable sought to:

inform businesses about the various national and international anti-corruption instruments regulating their business environment;

highlight measures and tools to improve integrity and transparency in business;

encourage linkages between businesses to promote collective action.

Over the course of the day, participants discussed various international anti-corruption instruments regulating the business environment and their impact on measures and tools to improve integrity and transparency in business. They agreed that fighting corruption is increasingly important for the Egyptian business climate and for companies conducting business in Egypt – especially for companies involved with foreign businesses due to increasingly demanding international standards, instruments and review mechanisms. They highlighted some key elements to encourage a clean business environment in Egypt, the obstacles that have held back Egypt in its fight against corruption and the means to overcome them.

Noting the available tools that assist businesses in successfully establishing and implementing integrity initiatives, including the means for businesses, their associations and industry federations to make valuable contributions to the fight against corruption, participants also considered concrete ways to improve the integrity of the business climate based on the discussions of the day.